Chris Ballard: 'Critical' the Colts build young core of talent in draft

Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts will have ample opportunity to add to the young core of talent they have begun to put in place and general manager Chris Ballard knows how crucial these next two drafts are.

With nine picks in this year’s class and eight (possibly more) in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Colts will have a chance to build the foundation of their rebuild.

Ballard’s process gives preference to the draft over free agency and he understands these next two classes are vital to the roster.

“I think last year we acquired some players who are going to help us going forward…We’ve got to build up our young core of talent,” Ballard told 1070 The Fan. “We have to. It’s critical we do that. It’s an important draft for us.”

Ballard placed an emphasis on these next two drafts simply because they could have up to 18 picks in that span. Couple that with the draft picks they selected in 2017, and the foundation of the roster is built.

Many would argue that the rebuild began when Ballard took over in 2017 and while that certainly holds water, the second-year general manager believes after hiring Frank Reich as head coach, that this is the starting point.

The Colts have a chance to truly maximize the opportunity to further the rebuild, giving Ballard the core of young talent he’s been talking about.

One, because we have 4 picks in the top 50 picks in the draft. But we also have 9 picks (this year) and 8 next year with the possibility of getting another (compensatory) pick. So that’s 18 picks in 2 years,” Ballard said.

He also believes that the players they select in these drafts are going to be the fundamental piece of the roster and he expressed how they won’t be just rentals for a few years.

“We have to get some core players that are going to be Colts for a long time. We have to get guys that are going to grow up and play and get up to speed fast,” Ballard said.

The Colts have talked about the rebuild since Ballard took over and now he will get his chance to further his plan over the next two drafts.